We are crushed with excruciating anguish
And unfathomable loss
For the countless number of human lives
That were taken much too quickly
From this beloved country
By a homicidal war
Of American defamation and destruction
We wonder how to move forward
Without the heart and soul
Of our people
Who have touched us in so many ways
Through their contributions and service
Time and energy
Individuality and camaraderie
In creating a better world
They leave behind
A legacy of unforgettable courage
And unyielding strength
That can never be replaced
In the years to come
We look for their faces
In our homes and each corner of the world
We feel their passion and spirit
At work in our daily lives
As we begin to rebuild the foundation
Of our broken universe
We can continue their vision
Of making a brighter tomorrow
Although their time
On this earth
Should have been lengthened
We must remember
That not a single day of their earthly presence
Was ever wasted.
We love and miss them
Their spirits shall live within us forever.

Dedicated to the memory of all terrorist victims who lost their lives on Tuesday September 11, 2001

SOLDIER'S RELICS

She knelt beside his mossy gravesite
Shivering with unbearable grief
Teardrops pouring from sleepless red eyes
Lips quivering with words of adoration
To her dearly departed son
Recollecting his youthful years
Before he became a fallen war hero
Now all thats left
Is a roomful of boyhood belongings:

Framed photographs and ribbon-tied letters
A worn leather baseball and catchers mitt
Hanging model airplanes
Shelves of wrestling and hockey trophies
Boxes of jigsaw puzzles and board games
A bookcase of classic novels
Stacks of science fiction magazines
Albums of collected stamps and coins
Postcards and souvenirs from family vacations
Hundreds of baseball trading cards
Elvis and Beatles albums
A motion-picture camera and telescope
Army fatigues and military tags

Treasured remnants of a life once thriving
Now a sentimental shrine of frozen youth
Veiled with euphoric moments of transient adolescence
Lingering with unexplained questions of bereaved maturity
Yearning for the son who will never
Experience the fullness and depth of manhood.

WALTZ OF THE BLACK SWAN

I just want to dance away from this war-torn world
And sway to the beat of interminable peace
To sing the lyrics of courage and freedom again
To shake hatred and bitterness from our hearts
And fill our souls with love and forgiveness
I just wanna waltz away from a nation of evil
And swing to the rhythm of abundant goodness
To sing the words of confidence and hope again
To abolish bigotry and poverty from global soil
And re-establish universal amity and prosperity
I just wanna step away from the boundless massacre of brutality
And run toward a blissful land of harmony
I just wanna embrace a climate of sheltered warmth
And dissolve the borders of frigidity
I just wanna return to the way life was
Before the world turned into a toxic revolt of ethnic fury
Diminishing cultural trust and honor
Trampling democratic liberties
And destroying thousands of innocent lives.